WATERBURY -- To make a golfing purist bristle, simply make the occasional reference to our old, familiar city tournament, the Republican-American championship.

When covering golf tournaments in Connecticut, if I let slip a word about the "R&A," response is typically caustic. The letters R and A are to be used exclusively, it seems, for two words: One is "Royal" and the other is "Ancient." Any other coupling is scandalous.

That's just Ridiculous & Atrocious.

We have played 112 Connecticut Amateur championships, 83 Connecticut PGA championships and 80 Connecticut Opens. If there are other golf tournaments older than the R&A, I don't know them. When I ask the old-timers about others, they don't know any either.

The R&A, our R&A, which crowned its 79th champion this past Sunday, is old, grand and, sadly, in a bit of trouble.

Registration for the 2014 tournament sagged badly. Only 13 players signed up at Western Hills. In the championship flight, Steve Kasle and Cliff Hodak needed to win only one match to advance to the course final. East Mountain had 25 players. In the championship flight, six players received first-round byes.

We understand. It is difficult, impossible for some, to play the R&A. From qualifying day to championship final, you play six rounds of golf over three consecutive weekends.

There are two city tournaments going in opposite directions. The sixth Mayor's

See R&A, Page 7B

Cup in July had its field double. The Mayor's Cup is far easier on the schedule. One weekend, two days, 18 holes at each course, and you're done.

The R&A is a song without an end. It is Wagnerian. But there is something special, too, about the event, a sense of ordeal. The R&A is a grind, and when someone hands you that championship trophy at the end, you know you earned it.

Keep in mind that those who mock the R&A do not understand its impact. There are more spectators at an R&A final than your typical Connecticut Amateur or Open final. Chew on that. As recently as 2011, when Rudy Hermstadt and Tommy Dorso staged an epic final, more than 300 fans walked along with the boys at East Mountain, often through torrential rain.

Never has a tournament been so loved and despised. Golfers have suggested format changes for years. And there have been changes. The tourney has been tightened over the last decade. Before, players qualified on their own. Matches were often scheduled by players. They got out when they could. It was a long, rambling, endless tournament that started in June and ended in late August or, a few times, in September.

The set schedule, organized tee times and three consecutive weekends of play is, or can be, a nightmare, no doubt. But it is also essential to make the tournament a legitimate competition.

But the time has come for a change, and here are some of the suggestions offered by the head professionals at the two city courses, Jimmy Dean at Western Hills and Dave Giacondino at East Mountain:

Eliminate qualifying. To knock off one day of play, use USGA handicaps to place golfers in flights. Another idea is to use a different weekend tournament early in the summer as a qualifying score. That would help eliminate tanking by players during qualifying, in an attempt to drop down a flight.

Start sooner. The former June dates for the R&A were a concern. Players cited Father's Day and school graduations as key objections to June play. Yes, June was a nightmare, but so is August because of vacation schedules.

Avoid the Mayor's Cup. The Mayor's Cup was played July 19-20 this year. The first R&A weekend was Aug. 2-3. To play in both events, golfers committed to play golf on four weekends in a five-weekend stretch. That's a nightmare for a family man, and even a sportswriter who covers both events. The Mayor's Cup and R&A should be moved apart.

Relaxed scheduling. This harkens back to the old R&A format and may be the best idea of all. The R&A course finals and city finals must be set in stone. Determine your hard date, like this year, Aug. 16-17, or perhaps next year June 27-28 or July 11-12. All previous rounds can be flexible. If a guy can't play on Father's Day, then don't play Father's Day. If two guys want to play July 4, then play July 4. You hook up with your opponent and set a convenient date. Finals, though, are rock solid.

Some of these changes will be in the works when the R&A turns 80 in 2015. Another tournament with fewer than 40 players tells us that the once grand tournament has reached, perhaps, the end of the line.

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